One of my dark secrets is that I’m a closet Leonard Cohen fan. His witty, literate songs such as Hallelujah, I’m Your Man, Everybody Knows (“Shining artefact of the past” has to be one of my favourite lines ever) and Suzanne appeal greatly to me. Surely he must be one of Canada’s greatest exports ever.

Tonight I was reminded of another of his songs. As I looked up I saw tens of thousands of small birds perched on the overhead wires – small swifts, evenly spaced.

During the day to find evidence of these birds one can look down and see the trails of bird lime.

     “Like a bird on the wire,
     Like a drunk in a midnight choir
     I have tried in my way to be free.”

Funny how he forgot to write about the poo.

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